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No. 6|8,498. Patented lan. 3|, |899. L. E. CURTIS.

TEMPORARY BINDER.

(Application led Oct. 24, 1898.)

(No Modal.)

UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

LEwIS E. CURTIS, oE CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNCR To META C. BAKER, oF SAME PLACE.

TEMlORARY BINDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 618,498, dated January 31, 1899.

Application led October 24, 1898. Serial No. 694,359. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern.-

Beit known that I, LEWIS E. CURTIS, a citizen of the United States, residing in Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Temporary Binders, of which the following is a specification. e

This invention relates to the class of temporary binders which are made in the form of books or portfolios and are adapted to the temporary binding of loose sheets in such manner that fresh sheets can be inserted whenever desired and any of the sheets can be removedas occasion requires. A

The binder which forms the subject-matter of this specification has been devised more especially for use in what are now generally known as perpetual ledgers, but it may obviously be used for other purposes than the keeping of account-sheets.

The invention is designed to provide a very simple construction little likely to get out of order in use and inexpensive to manufacture.

The nature of the invention will be understood from the description given below.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows my improved binder in perspective. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the metal parts of the binder, partly in section. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the parts shown at Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section of -one of the posts. Figs. 5 and 6 are sections on the lines 5 and 6 6, respectively, of Fig. 4C, looking in the direction of the arrows.

In the drawings, A and B represent the two parallel strips which are provided with the binding devices and which in the completed article are preferably covered with leather or other suitable material. A

C C are the covers for the ledger, portfolio, or album, and they may be flexibly hinged to the strips A and B or to the covering material used thereon, as at c. The strip Ais corresponding to the posts D. v These tubes are stationarily attached to the strips A and are slotted longitudinally at one side, as at E. They enter the posts D and are free to move vertically in them. Within the tubes E are rotatable screws F, each having a steep thread F cut throughout its length, as will be understood from Fig. 4, and gibs or prospring-pawls G', serve to lock the screws against rotation in one direction. The pawls Gr' are carried upon' sliding bars H, having right-angled projections H', adapted to be engaged by an appropriate key h, inserted at the key-openingHz. The slides H have their projections H at opposite sides of the keyhole, as will be understood from Fig. 3, so that if a key having wings upon opposite sides is inserted at the opening H2 and turned a quarter of the way around the slides will be simultaneously moved sufficiently to carry their pawls out from engagement with the ratchet-wheels. Springs H3 operate upon the projections H to bring them to their normal positions (shown at Fig. 3) after 'they have been thus moved by the key. The pawl and ratchet when in engagement act to prevent any rotation of the screws in the direction in which they would be turned by lifting the strip A, as in opening the binder for the insert-ion or removal of sheets; but such engagement does not interfere with the movement of strip A in a downward direction. In other words, the pawl and ratchet prevent the opening of the binder except when the pawls are intentionally withdrawn by the key; but they do not prevent the user from closing the binder against the sheets which may be in position in it at any time by simply exerting downward pressure on the strip A. The locking devices act automatically and instantly and retain the strip A in any position to which it may be moved, so that it IOO is firmly held down upon the contents of the binder.

For the purpose of preventing4 the complete detachment of strip A from strip B, I provide the screw at its lower end with a disk J, which is preferably notched at J', (see Fig. 6,) so as to facilitate the putting of the parts together, this notch permitting the disk to pass the gib F2. After the screw and tube E have been entered in the post the screw is rotated slightly to carry the notch out of register with the slot E, and when thus turned the disk` will, when the covers are moved apart, engage the gib F2 and prevent total separation of the covers.

To prevent lateral movement of the sheets while in the binder by reason of the diversity in size of the posts D and depending tubes E, I slot the posts D, as seen at K in Figs. 4 and 6, upon one side and attach to the depending tubes filling-pieces K,which move in the slots K and preferably fill the same. These slots in the posts D should be preferably located upon the outer sides of both posts, though they may be arranged so as to come upon the inner or adjacent sides. In this manner the binder when opened to its fullest extent will present the same vertical line to the contained sheets both at the top `and at the bottom of the pile of sheets, and thus hold the sheets stationary, notwithstanding the difference in size referred to. The filling-strip K may, if preferred, be made integral with the depending tubes, or the latter may be bent outward, so as to serve the purpose of the iilling-pieces.

Bushings L are preferably employed at each end of the screws, as shown. The screws should be held against vertical movement in the depending tubes in some suitable way, and this function is performed by the upper bushings in the construction illustrated, as will be understood from Fig. Il.

My main object in employing the tube E has been to obviate the presence of any friction upon the screw which might prevent its turning with the necessary freedom. I do not, however, deem the tube to be absolutely essential and do not wish to be limited to its presence, except where it is specifically mentionedin the claims, and while I have shown the construction preferred by me it will be understood that the construction may be varied in several Ways without departing from the invention.

By providing the binder with interlocking posts at both ends of the binding-strips A and B, I am enabled to cause pressure upon the sheets throughout their width and thus hold them much more firmly than is possible with binders having only a single and centrallylocated interlocking post.

At the same time son of the construction which makes them releasable by a single key.

I claim- 1. A temporary binder embodying two para'llel strips of suitable material, each having a section projecting toward the other strip, such sections entering one within the other and one of them being provided with a screw-thread and the other with means engaging said thread, one section being also rotatable, the screw-thread being sufficiently steep to permit the binder to be closed upon its contents by pressing the strips together, substantially as specified.

2. A temporary binder embodying two parallel strips of suitable material, each having a section projecting toward the other strip, such sections entering one within the other and one of them being provided with a screwthread and the other with means engaging said thread, one section being also rotatable, and provided with means for locking it against rotation in one direction, the screw-thread being suiiiciently steep to permit the binder to be closed upon the contents by pressing the strips together and then locked in the closed position, substantially as specified.

3. A temporary binder embodying two parallel strips of suitable material, each having a section projecting toward the other strip, such sections entering one within the other and one of them being provided with a screwthread and the other with means engaging said thread, one section being also rotatable and provided with means for automatically locking it against rotation in one direction, the screw-thread being sufficiently steep to permit the binder to be closed upon the contents by pressing the strips together and then automatically locked in the closed position, substantially as specified.

4. A temporary binder embodying two parallel strips of suitable material, each having a section projecting toward the other strip, such sections entering one within the other and one of them being provided with a steep screw-thread and the other with means engaging said thread, one section being also rotatable and provided with a ratchet and spring-pawl for locking it against rotation in o ne direction, substantially as specified.

5. A temporary binderembodying two parallel strips of suitable material, each having a section projecting toward the other strip, such sections entering one within the other and one of them being provided with a steep screw-thread and the other with means engaging said thread, one section being also rotatable and provided with a ratchet and spring-pawl for locking it against rotation in one direction, such pawl being movable away from the ratchet at will, substantially as specified.

6. The temporary binder embodying two parallel strips of suitable material provided with projecting sections entering one within the other, and consisting of the post D, the

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slotted tube E, and rotatable screw F, engaged by a projection on the post, substantially as set forth.

-7. The temporary binder embodying two parallel strips of suitable material provided with projecting sections entering one Within the other, and consisting' of the post D, the slotted tube E, rotatable screw F, and notched disk J, substantially as speciied.

8. The temporary binder embodying telescoping members, the -outer member being slotted longitudinally and the inner member having a longitudinal filling-piece entering the slot of the outer member and acting to p0- sition the paper, substantially as specified.

9. The combination in a temporary binder LEWIS E. CURTIS.

Witnesses:

EDWARD S. EvARTS, H. M. MUNDAY. 

